THE JOURNAL
staff at a reception desk made from a 200-year oak tree handpicked by the design team from the Balcombe Estate in Sussex, while dry stone walls are made from a reclaimed stone wall in Yorkshire. Suspended from the ceiling is a living chandelier by Patrick Nadeau, made from 50,000 strands of Spanish moss. Built from two existing buildings and reimagined to reduced CO2 emissions, the guest rooms are made from materials that are either reclaimed or from sustainable sources. Sustainability is
T an issue that is particularly
important in interior design that relies so heavily on the textile industry, reputed to be second only to the oil industry in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. Yet combining sustainability with luxury isn’t just about delivering beauty and comfort in a way that is kind to the environment; an increasingly prevalent mindset focuses on every aspect of the environmental and social impact of the process that brings design to life. One route is to become a Benefit Company that commits to promoting positive and essential values within a community. Visionnaire, the Bologna-based interiors business with a showroom in the Design Centre, took this step in 2021 and aims to create shared benefits in its commercial activities and to promote positive effects while reducing negative impacts. This new focus is a significant gear shift when
compared to the days when the word meant many different things to different people; from reducing one’s carbon footprint and recycling to using non-toxic materials and reducing waste. Lack of focus has meant that it has frequently been misused – and consumers confused. Yet it’s perhaps the byzantine complexity of the subject that is one of the greatest hurdles facing designers and interiors brands, keen to address the subject in an effective and coherent way. Too often, it’s easy to be so distracted by the challenges
that one doesn’t recognise the opportunities. And these are goals that often rely on small steps rather than giant leaps. This was among the reasons that sustainability was the subject of a panel discussion Country Life hosted at Focus/23 at which three practitioners with depth and breadth of experience gathered to share three very
he recent launch of 1 Hotel Mayfair, London’s
most sustainable hotel, is
emblematic of the new mood at the luxury end of interior design; guests are greeted by
different perspectives. They included Hugh Petter, design director of Adam Architecture, project director of Hyatt Hotels Maria Mallalieu, and the sustainability expert Mirry Christie who highlighted how a focus on sustainability went far beyond environmental and
“SUSTAINABILITY HAS BECOME CENTRAL TO THE STRATEGIES OF ARCHITECTS, DESIGNERS AND THOSE THAT SUPPLY THEM"
social impact, creating a culture that was of significant benefit to their business. She pointed out how common goals create a positive culture and help to retain staff and galvanise teams.
The discussion demonstrated, too, how sustainability
has become so central to the strategies of architects, designers and those that supply them – and how they are succeeding in marrying the demands of good design with those of
the environment. For Petter,
whose Winchester-based practice recently recruited its first ever sustainability lead, the challenge is about more than just thermal efficiency and heat pumps but also creating buildings that offer the benefits of natural light that is not just uplifting but also warmed by the sun. For Mallalieu, it is about embracing the opportunities of
local craftspeople and materials
sourced close to home. It’s the possibilities of this overlap between design
and sustainability that has been one of the most exciting recent developments in the luxury end of interior design. For Bernie de Le Cuona, it has long
OPPOSITE: The lobby of 1 Hotel Mayfair, an urban sanctuary in the heart of London. The 1 Hotel group has a sustainable design philosophy, and GA Group’s scheme includes this dramatic “living chandelier” by Studio Patrick Nadeau that greets guests; the four-metre-wide installation is made from Spanish moss, interwoven with optical fibre lighting. Nadeau is known for his work integrating planting into architectural settings. ABOVE: De Le Cuona’s ‘Pure Equator’ fabric is made from linen certified by GOTS (the Global Organic Textile Standard), a rarity in the interiors industry
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